Yesterday we kept stuff in, so today let’s clear stuff out. What is in your diabetic closet that needs to be cleaned out? This can be an actual physical belonging, or it can be something you’re mentally or emotionally hanging on to. Why are you keeping it and why do you need to get rid of it?
A few weeks ago I realized that there’s one particular physical manifestation of my diabetes that I haven’t taken out in quite some time: my sharps container.
Before switching to an insulin pump, I was filling these things up on the regular. Insulin pen needles take up quite a bit of space if you don’t keep track of everything. In San Francisco, Walgreens offer free sharps containers at their pharmacy, all you have to do is ask. Of course, with two people generating somewhere between twelve and twenty used insulin pen needles a day, I was exchanging a full container for a new one often. I’m sure the kind lady at our local Walgreens pharmacy thought I was quite the deviant.
But now, I’m only tossing in the needle that is used in a cartridge change every three-ish days.
I haven’t needed to exchange sharps containers since I started using my t:slim. It’s kind of crazy. To be fair, I’m generating plenty of trash each time I change my insulin cartridge, however everything but the needle can go in the regular trash can. I suppose it’s one less thing to worry about?
A Consequence of Hypoglycemia. 